EA announces subscription service for Xbox One gamers

Borrowing a page from the streaming music and video industry, Electronic Arts on Tuesday announced a subscription service targeting Xbox One owners. EA Access, in partnership with Microsoft, will grant members access to select EA games for a monthly (or annual) fee and early access to game demos.

The service will initially offer four top EA games: FIFA 14, Madden NFL 25, Peggle 2 and Battlefield 4 with more titles slated to be added to The Vault in the near future. Subscribers will also enjoy a 10 percent discount on purchases of EA digital content for Xbox One offered through the Xbox Games Store.

EA Access is being rolled out in beta to a limited number of players starting today with plans for a full launch "soon." Pricing is set at $4.99 per month or $29.99 for an annual membership through Xbox Live. Alternately, the membership will be available for purchase at GameStop brick-and-mortar locations soon.

The latter subscription option obviously makes the most financial sense if you're interested in the service although its success or failure will ultimately come down to which titles are added to the list and whether or not launch day games make the cut.

No word yet on when or if EA Access will be offered on other platforms.

Would you be willing to pay five bucks a month (or less with the annual membership) for unlimited access to select games? What would "make" or "break" the deal in your opinion? Let us know in the comments below!